I head the Modelling, Imaging, Stress & Cognition (MISC) lab in the Division of Psychology, Communication & Human Neuroscience. I am Senior Lecturer and have been Head of Division since 2025. In addition, I am co-lead for the University of Manchester UK Biobank User group and member of the UoM-UK Biobank steering group. 

I received my PhD from the University of Sheffield in 2010, followed by postdoctoral work in UCL (2010-2012). I then moved to Cardiff University and was awarded a Wellcome Trust ISSF fellowship, and then a Health & Care Research Wales Fellowship (2012-15). I joined the University of Manchester in 2015.

My work uses MRI and behavioural studies to examine cognitive and brain structural changes in neurological disorders, primarily multiple sclerosis, as well as the effects of stress throughout the lifespan. I received the 'Alwyn Lishman award' from the British Neuropsychiatry Association in 2009, and again in 2016. I received the 'Charles Symonds award' from the Association of British Neurologists in 2011 and the 'rising star award' from the journal Epilepsy & Behavior in 2013. I was previously chair of the Communications committee for the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (2018-21), chair of the OHBM Open Science Special Interest Group (2023-24), chair of the BSc Psychology Teaching Board (2018-2023) and admissions officer for BSc Psychology (2015-2020).  

My work has received funding from the MRC, BBSRC, Royal Society, Wellcome Trust and US Department of Defence. I currently work on the US Department of Defence funded project on Brain Charts in NF1 ($2.7m, 2024-27), and the NIHR Invention 4 Innovation project on AI-Driven analysis of MRI in the NHS (£600k, 2025-28). 

Current Teaching

BSc Psychology 

• PSY10421 Intro to Cognition 
• PSY11212 Brain & Behaviour 

MBChB Medicine

• MBChB Year 2: Multiple Sclerosis

BSc Cognitive Neuroscience

• PSY10770 Study skills in Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology

BSc Neuroscience

• BIOL20922 Neuroscience RSM (NeuroAnatomy)

MSc Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience

• BIOL62141 Functional NeuroAnatomy
• BIOL63172 Research in Neuropsychology & Clinical Neuroscience

MRes Psychological Research

• BIOL62162 Cognitive & Social Neuroscience

2016                      The Art of the Brain - event at Manchester Town Hall (part of "Brain Box")
                               Co-ordinator and presenter for outreach event with 5400 visitors.

2015-present          What do Psychological Scientists do? Manchester
                              Discussing careers in Psychology with ~400 A-level students (Organiser & speaker).

2015                      Epilepsy Action Wales member workshop, Cardiff
                              'Memory, stress and research in epilepsy' - (Organiser & speaker).

2014                      Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 
                              Public talk on "The Neuroscience of Stress and Memory, & Solaris (1972)"  

2013-14                 National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
                              Brain Games - demonstrating Cognitive Neuroscience techniques to ~2000 local children. 

Current PhD Students (Primary)

Heike Turner
Meg Sheppard
Vanesa Benuskova
Yuping Yang
Jess Haigh

Secondary PhD Supervisor

Izzy Turner
Ryan Shepherd
Katie Moran
Frank Ma

Past PhD Students

Robin Wicketts (now business performance analyst at QBE)
Elizabeth McManus (now lecturer at Manchester University)
Danka Jandric (now at Janssen Phamaceuticals)
Zhenhong He (now lecturer at Shenzhen University)
Czime Litwinczuk (now postdoc at Manchester University)
Erika Corduna (now at Manchester University)